


look into your eyes

by HyperchaoticStarlight (MVPYurio)



Series: i'll be around for you [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Ice Cream, Love Confessions, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Scienceshipping, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 19:38:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15713742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVPYurio/pseuds/HyperchaoticStarlight
Summary: One week later…It’s the moment you all have been waiting for.





	look into your eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by “Helpless” from Hamilton. I also snuck in another Steven Universe reference. –Lia

_One week later…_

“Soooo…”

Tony looked up to see that Bruce was standing over his desk.

“Yes?” Tony asked.

“Last I checked, I still owe you a date,” said Bruce. “I checked with Pepper, and you’re free this afternoon.”

Tony laughed. Of course he had checked with Pepper; it wasn’t like Tony had any idea of his own schedule.

“If she says I’m free, I’m free,” Tony replied.

Bruce leaned forward and kissed Tony’s forehead. “Meet me outside at three.”

With that, he walked away, leaving Tony blushing profusely.

~~~~

“Hey there,” Bruce said sweetly as Tony came outside. “Ready?”

His arms were just so slightly stretched in Tony’s direction, inviting him to come closer, eyes soft and bright and _irresistible,_ and suddenly Tony found himself inches away and resting his forehead against Bruce’s, their fingers laced together.

“Yeah,” Tony replied, barely above a whisper, asking himself how the hell he had gotten himself here—and promptly not caring about the answer.

“Good.” Bruce pulled away, much to Tony’s dismay, and began leading him towards the car.

“So, where are we going?” Tony asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Bruce.

“Awww,” Tony whined. “You can’t just tell me?”

“No,” Bruce said firmly. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway, rolling his eyes at Tony’s scowl.

Secretly, he was quite nervous. He was pretty sure his plan for their date was solid, but this was Tony Stark after all. For all he knew, Tony would laugh at his idea.

 _No,_ he told himself firmly. For months upon months, Tony had been nothing but caring, nothing but kind. This was the guy who said “I won’t force you” with the same simple sincerity, with the clarity, the candor, of any scientist acknowledging the force of gravity itself. The guy who stared Clint fucking Barton, master assassin, agent of SHIELD, _Natasha’s best friend,_ right in the face, and demanded that he leave the Tower, risking getting his ass kicked—hell, maybe even the breakup of the team—just to defend Bruce’s honor. The guy who produced forbidden blankets for nightmares and picnic blankets for sunny days.

This was Tony Stark, the love of Bruce’s goddamn life, and Bruce trusted him.

He turned right and pulled into the parking lot of the strip mall they had visited all those months ago, feeling oddly calm and confident for a first date.

“Target?” Tony asked.

“Yeah,” said Bruce. “It was the first place we went to after I came back to Earth, and I guess… it’s hard to explain, but—”

“It’s perfect,” said Tony, reaching over and squeezing Bruce’s hand.

Bruce couldn’t help but sigh in relief. “I was thinking, we wander around a little and then get ice cream.”

Tony grinned. “Now _that_ sounds like a hell of a date.”

~~~~

“Y’know, I was talking to Pepper recently,” Bruce began.

Tony turned away from the French press he was looking at and gave Bruce’s hand a squeeze. “Oh?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was,” said Bruce. “And she told me something quite interesting.”

“And what was that?”

Bruce gave Tony something resembling, but not identical to, a triumphant smirk. “She told me that she has never used the word _Tarzhay._ Not once. Not ever.” He poked Tony in the side. “Face it, Stark. You’re a suburban wine mom in disguise.”

“How _dare_ you,” Tony gasped, and then his eyes lit up mischievously. “Does that make you a suburban barbecue football dad?”

Bruce sighed. “I walked into that, didn’t I.”

They wandered through the rest of the kitchen section of Target, past a few aisles of furniture, and found themselves in front of a massive stand devoted to Avengers merchandise.

“Hey, it’s us,” Tony laughed. “Look, kids can have Cap as a blanket.”

“Adults can, too,” said Bruce. “They make big ones.”

Tony smirked. “Takes sleeping with Captain America to a whole new level.” Bruce promptly punched his arm. “What?”

“You’re absolutely disgusting,” said Bruce. “I cannot believe you.”

“And yet…” Tony kissed Bruce’s cheek, grinning when a blush blossomed forward from that spot. “Here you are, on a date with me.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Bruce said casually, but _god_ was he gone for this man.

“We should get one for Barnes,” Tony suggested. “A Cap blanket, that is. I feel bad that they live two miles apart and still have to do the long-distance thing. Maybe—”

“Stop right there,” said Bruce. “I know you feel bad about banning Barnes from the Tower, but nobody holds it against you.”

“That’s only because I keep saying it’s about security, though,” said Tony.

“Nobody actually believes that, Tony,” said Bruce. “I mean, it’s fair, it’s a valid point, but we all know the truth, and trust me, nobody has a problem with it.”

Tony bit his lip. He knew it was selfish, to lock Barnes out of the Tower because of something that happened twenty years ago, that wasn’t even Barnes’s fault—

 _“Stop,”_ Bruce said again, more quietly and yet more forcefully. “Listen, we can and absolutely will talk about this later if you want, but for now let’s just have a fun date, okay?”

Tony nodded, tightening his grip on Bruce’s hand for just a second. “Yeah. Okay.”

Bruce lifted their linked hands and kissed Tony’s knuckles. “Wanna go get ice cream?”

“Like you even need to ask.”

~~~~

They ended up getting a _massive_ sundae, four enormous scoops of ice cream and two brownies with rainbow sprinkles and M&Ms and Oreo cookie pieces, drowning in hot fudge and topped with a mountain of whipped cream, and sharing it on a park bench. Out of the corners of their eyes, they could see children on the playground, squealing in delight as they chased each other about, and teenagers playing basketball, and moms with juice boxes at their feet talking to each other about whatever moms with juice boxes at their feet talked about these days, gardening or politics or that new store a few blocks away, and dads playing catch with their sons and fetch with their dogs. They saw trees and grass and birds and just-fading sunshine, but most of all they saw each other, with chocolate-covered faces and sticky hands and laughter bubbling forth around their spoons at Tony’s tales of MIT escapades and Bruce’s impressions of the other Avengers.

“That one was gold,” said Tony, almost crying as Bruce sat down, having just semi-successfully imitated Thor. “The stick twirling really made it.”

Bruce laughed, tossing the stick he’d been using as Mjölnir aside. “Glad you liked it.”

“I like everything you do,” said Tony. “Well, just about.” He leaned over and pecked Bruce’s forehead. “I find you quite amazing.”

“That’s funny,” said Bruce, “because I find you quite amazing as well.”

He was blushing slightly, but he continued to hold Tony’s gaze with those soft, bright eyes, and Tony could feel an impulse bubbling forth, resting just behind his lips. His heart fluttered; his mind reeled; his pulse raced… but Bruce’s eyes made him brave.

“I love you,” he said quietly. “I know it’s only our first date, but I can’t hide it anymore. I love you.”

Bruce had been about to take another bite of ice cream, but the confession made him put down his spoon and cup Tony’s face in his hands, his thumbs lightly caressing Tony’s cheeks.

“I love you too,” he said. “You’re funny, and beautiful, and brilliant, and brave, and so incredibly kind, and I love you.”

“Can I kiss you?” Tony asked. He nuzzled slightly into Bruce’s palm. “I bet you taste like ice cream.”

“Well, we are scientists,” said Bruce. “I guess we’ll have to experiment and find out.”

And they crashed their lips together, the ice cream forgotten as Tony tangled his fingers into Bruce’s hair. Somewhere behind them, someone whooped and cheered, and somewhere else they could hear clapping, but none of it could drown out the song in their hearts.

They pulled apart only when Tony had to breathe—curse his weaker lung reserves—and rested their foreheads together.

“Well?” Bruce asked, arms wrapping around Tony’s shoulders and back. “Has our scientific experiment yielded any conclusions?”

Tony let out a breathless laugh. “You taste like ice cream,” he said. “I would consider this experiment a success.”

Bruce smiled and kissed Tony’s forehead. “Perfect.”

“So, I guess that means we’re dating now?” Tony asked.

“If you’ll have me,” said Bruce.

Tony’s eyes softened. “Of course.”

“Yeah!” Bruce flung his arms around Tony’s neck, humming in delight when Tony hugged him close.

A few moments later, Tony pulled away, his big brown eyes sparkling. “I’ve been waiting to kiss your cute face,” he admitted, and before Bruce could say something like “nobody’s stopping you” or even fully process what had been said, he could feel soft kisses and softer eyelashes brushing against his cheeks.

“We should finish this ice cream before it melts,” he murmured, lightly placing his hands on Tony’s chest to push him away.

Tony froze instantly. “D’you want me to stop?”

“I—no, not really—” he nuzzled against Tony’s cheek “—but we need to finish this ice cream before it melts.”

Tony nodded and kissed Bruce’s nose. “Later, then, if you’d like.”

“Definitely.”

~~~~

They stayed together at the park for several hours after they finished their ice cream, playing on the swings and cuddling in the grass, but then the sun started to go down and—

“We’re being eaten alive,” Bruce said, swatting away yet another mosquito. “Can we go home?”

“Sure,” said Tony. “But before we go… there’s something I wanna talk to you about. Before I chicken out of saying it.”

“Okay?” Bruce laid his hand on top of Tony’s.

Tony bit his lip and seemed to tremble, as if the words he wanted to say were vibrating against his skin, demanding their egress.

“Tony?” Bruce prompted.

“I’m ready,” Tony said, finally, and then he leaned closer to whisper something in Bruce’s ear.

Bruce immediately began laughing. “I’ve wanted to do that for ages,” he said.

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it for awhile too,” said Tony. “But—”

 _“I didn’t want to force you,”_ they said together, and then they were laughing together, loud and clear enough to echo in the twilight air and fill it.

“So,” Bruce said when the song had subsided, “did I plan a decent date?”

Tony’s eyes had been sparkling with laughter, but Bruce’s question caused them to turn into those soft embers that had convinced Bruce to move in with him in the first place.

“It was perfect,” Tony replied. He rested his forehead against Bruce’s and took his hands. “Absolutely perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely hope there aren’t any nasty fujoshi monsters reading my nice wholesome AU, but just in case: no, the next piece will not involve skoodilypooping. It will, however, tie up many of the themes I’ve been exploring so far. –Lia.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> This series is brought to you by Lia (she/her, HyperchaoticStarlight) and James (they/them, TheMagicMicrobus). We try to update about every 2 weeks. However, we are both students (Lia is in college; James is in high school), and so we cannot promise perfection.
> 
> Find Lia on Tumblr @ hyperchaoticstarlight, marvel-at-these-gays, scienceshipping, and tinytonys.  
> Find James on Tumblr @ themagicmicrobus and morethanhumantogether.
> 
> If you have ideas for this series, please feel free to reach out to one of us and we will consider putting it in!


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